Plastic is the predominant type of manmade debris found in rivers and oceans today. Between 60 and 80% of all marine debris is comprised of petroleum based plastics. Despite the fact that plastic pollution is a relatively recent phenomena, the problem has reached the far corners of the global oceans. Most of the obvious plastic
The “pristine” Charleston estuary waters in South Carolina, are in worse shape than most people think. At least 7- ½ tons worse. That’s how much plastic is estimated to be breaking down in the tide and waves of Charlestown Harbor, its tidal rivers and creeks. The total comes from a study by a research team
Around the world, people dump about 20 million tons of plastic into the ocean every year, much of it in the form of flyaway plastic bags. This waste doesn’t get magically swallowed by the ocean–it lingers indefinitely, posing a threat to marine life and to human health. Picking up garbage in the ocean is an
Petrochemical manufacturer Formosa Plastics has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit in which a judge ruled the company illegally dumped billions of plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other Texas waterways, according to the settlement. In addition to the financial settlement, the company agreed to comply with “zero discharge”
Every year, about 8-million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans, which is equal to five bags filled with plastic going along every foot of coastline in the world, according to Plastic Oceans, a non-profit organization. By 2025, they estimate the annual input will be about twice that. But how exactly is so much
Seabirds like albatrosses belong to the most threatened bird group in the world. Coincidentally, this group of birds (Procellariiformes) also ingests the highest amount of human garbage found in oceans around the world. At this very moment, 250,000 tonnes of garbage is drifting through the world’s oceans and threatening marine wildlife who mistake it for
From the Great Pacific garbage patch to inland rivers, plastics are among the most widespread contaminants on Earth. Microplastics—particles of plastic smaller than five millimeters—are especially pervasive. As they build up in Earth’s waters, microplastics are also becoming a permanent part of the planet’s sedimentary layers. Now, using the Great Lakes as a laboratory, sedimentary
In the first study of its kind, an Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)-led research team estimates that more than 560,000 hermit crabs have been killed on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean and the Henderson Island in the Pacific after being trapped in plastic debris. The study was carried out by
